Defense 101
by Logan Raenass
Summary: Laura Potter wanted nothing more than a break from Trolls, Basilisks, and Dark Lords for her upcoming fourth year at Hogwarts. Little did she know how hectic the next school year will become. However, even a deadly tournament doesn't compare to the mystery of their new favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She just couldn't explain why he felt so...familiar. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, and welcome to my first ever HP fic! Believe me I have read a crazy amount of stories relating to our favorite boy who lived and I thought wow this could be fun. So just to be clear this is going to be an AU (because it grants me so much more freedom and because it fits with the story I have in mind). So here I am! Disclaimer: I am merely a muggle playing around in a sandbox that Rowling created.**

* * *

The summer holidays had just begun and yet Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was not awarded the time to enjoy the break. He had just been contacted by Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department for Magical Games and Sports, that during the upcoming school year, Hogwarts would be playing host to the Triwizard Tournament once again. It had been several centuries since the last tournament was held and the Chief Warlock had to wonder why the Ministry thought it was a good idea to revive such a deadly tournament now of all times.

Given the more recent events of the past year, with the escape of Bellatrix Lestrange and her numerous attempts to enter the castle in order to kill young Laura Potter, one would think that now was not the best time to host such events with a deranged witch on the loose. Alas, the Ministry had already made up its mind and has already begun preparations for it by informing the other schools that would be competing as well as their respective Ministries.

And so here he sat, sorting through a large pile of letters and forms that need to be signed and read. There had been something else, but he couldn't…

A clearing of someone's throat caught his attention.

"Ah, yes forgive me. I have a lot on my mind." Albus said, addressing the man sitting across from him in his office.

"I understand, Headmaster." The man nodded. "I'm sure you're a very busy man. That's why I was hoping we could finish up this little interview so that I can get out of your hair."

"Of course, of course," Dumbledore agreed as he picked up several pieces of parchment that contained the man's resume. "I shall be direct then. Now tell me Mr. Peverell, why do you want to apply as the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts? I'm sure you've heard of the rumors of professors not lasting for more than one school year. I'm curious to know why a man such as yourself would risk such a thing?"

"Please, call me Septimus." The man said as he adopted a more comfortable posture in his chair. "It's pretty simple actually: I decided that I needed some stability in my life. After travelling extensively throughout the years, nothing quite beats the thought of settling down to call a place home. As for the risks, I don't believe in petty superstitions about a position being cursed. It just sounds like a load of tosh to me."

Albus studied the man a little more closely. He was quite young, along his mid to late twenties. Septimus kept his shoulder length raven hair into a neat ponytail while also sporting a neatly trimmed goatee. His attire was functional: a clean button up shirt under a coat along with some jeans and dragon hide boots, yet the quality spoke of some measure of wealth. Given the man's lineage, evidenced by the Peverell family ring on his finger, it should have come as no surprise that the man was living a comfortable lifestyle.

His exploits were also quite impressive if Dumbledore was reading the man's resume correctly. He found work with Gringotts as a Cursebreaker for three years before heading to the Dragon Sanctuary in Australia in order to become a handler for another three years. After which, he joined the professional dueling circuit and managed to make it to last year's semi-finals before eventually coming here. His former employers also gave him nothing but praise in their recommendation letters.

"Well, be that as it may, might I ask where you finished your education?" Albus inquired. "I must ensure the quality of education my students will be receiving, after all."

Septimus reached down into his bag and pulled out his OWL and NEWT results. "I was privately tutored and was given the chance to take my standard tests in the Ministry."

"Strange, why did you not attend Hogwarts?" Albus prodded. He didn't know why but something about this man did not sit well with the Headmaster. He could not explain it but it felt like he…knew this man for some reason. He had tried to use passive Legilimency on him earlier but to his surprise, the man was an adept Occlumens and not even his surface thoughts were shown. If Dumbledore had pushed a little further then there was a big chance Septimus would notice the mental intrusion.

Septimus merely shrugged in response. "My parents decided that an apprenticeship would be much more beneficial as well as efficient since they already knew a few people that were considered experts in their respective fields. They decided to push me in the direction they considered to be in my best interests leaving me with little choice in the matter."

"I see." Dumbledore said, scanning the man's exam results. As expected, they were more than adequate enough to earn a position amongst the Hogwarts staff. O's for Defense, Charms, and Transfiguration while he scored E's for Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmacy and Runes. "I was not aware that there were still those who carried the Peverell name. Most of your family had either already passed or had married into new pureblood families. I'm honestly quite surprised as you are the first Peverell I've met in a few generations."

Septimus merely shrugged. "My father claimed that we were from Antioch's line of descendants. He couldn't have been too sure but from what he told me, my father thinks that the Eldest brother from the children's stories might not be too far off in its depiction of my ancestor. While a brilliant wizard, he was also human who had needs and in those times, it was not uncommon for men to sire out of wedlock."

"Hmm, and where are your parents now?"

A forlorn expression crossed the man's face. "Sadly, they are no longer with us. We had been travelling to the United States you see for a holiday and our choice of residence at the time was a bit more muggle than my parents were used to. We had no idea that there had been a gas leak in the apartment we had been renting. It all happened so fast, one moment I had been in my room and the next thing I know is a large explosion that rocked the whole complex."

Dumbledore watched as the man had a far-away look in his eyes and his hands clenched into fists. "I had been one of the lucky ones to have survived with only a large burn on my back as a reminder. I was taken to the hospital where, after getting treated for my wounds, I was visited by a couple of Aurors from their Ministry. They keep a close eye on all magical members who enter the country and was no doubt monitoring our progress the moment we arrived. That's when they told me…"

"I apologize for bringing up such a topic." Dumbledore said. While he detected genuine hints of anguish in the man's tone as he spoke, there was a certain falseness in his tale that Albus couldn't place. He would have to verify this at a later time.

"Forgive me, Headmaster, but I hardly think that matter has anything to do with my interview for a job." Septimus said as he seemed to gather his composure once more.

Despite the glowing marks, Albus could not shake the niggling doubt that was gnawing at him. The evidence of the man's whole background and history was in his grasp and yet Albus felt that Septimus was not giving him the whole truth. He was full of contradictions. He weaved a compelling argument about his heritage but it was flimsy at best. Anyone could have simply claimed they were a descendant of an Ancient Family and yet the wax seal of Gringotts as well as the signature of the Goblins in some of his paperwork proved it to be true. The bank would have never allowed him to access his family vault without verifying his identity.

Furthermore, his timing was too convenient in the old wizard's opinion. Why now of all times did he choose to come home after almost a decade of travelling around the world? Septimus could have easily settled down in any of these magical communities and yet here he was, in the place where signs of _his_ return were growing. He'd had to deal with a possessed Quirrell, a Basilisk, and a dangerous escaped convict in the span of three years. Was this man sitting in front of him another potential threat he would have to worry about? He'd rather not burden young Ms. Potter anymore than he had to. The poor girl already had enough on her shoulders.

Coming to a decision, Dumbledore waved his wand over the man's resume and made a copy for himself while he handed the original back to its owner. "After reviewing your papers, I'm quite confident in saying that you are more than qualified to be the new Defense teacher at Hogwarts."

"So, does this mean I have the job?" Septimus asked expectantly.

"Not quite," the headmaster chuckled in response. "You see, while I have the discretion to hire new professors, it is also my intention that the students receive the best education here at this school. As I understand it, this will be your first time as a teacher and as of now I am not entirely convinced. Being able to defend yourself, which I believe you can handle easily, and teaching others to do the same is very different indeed. Therefore you shall have to convince me that you are prepared for the task ahead."

"Let me guess, you want a trial run of how I'll be able to handle a room full of children is that correct?" Septimus sighed, but was nevertheless undaunted. "It should be simple enough. When shall I conduct this?

"Perhaps we should schedule it for the Saturday after the next." Dumbledore answered. "That should give you ample time to prepare the material you wish to discuss. Meanwhile I shall be contacting the Board of Governors as well as a few other individuals who will help me deliberate on your performance."

Septimus nodded and stood up to shake Dumbledore's hand. "I shall see you then. You may put your doubts to rest, Headmaster. That job is as good as mine."

Dumbledore watched the man leave through the door of his office. Truth be told, his intentions had been far less noble than he would have liked. Normally, he wouldn't bother going through all of this to hire a new teacher because as Headmaster, he had the authority to hire new teachers without the need to consult the Board of Governors. He'd make an exception for young Septimus because frankly, his mere presence brought up bad memories for Dumbledore. He reminded the old wizard of another person who had been just as talented and charismatic at that age.

After all, it had not been too long ago that Albus and a younger Tom Riddle had a somewhat similar conversation in his office when he wanted to apply for the Defense position. Had Dumbledore known that his former student would go down a dark path, then perhaps he might have handled things differently. He was not going to commit the same mistake again.

* * *

Laura sat in front of her dresser as she brushed her hair trying in vain to straighten it somewhat. She had been slightly successful earlier before her stupid brother had decided to pull a prank on her and effectively rendering her efforts wasted. She sighed in frustration and gave up when it became apparent that her hair was not going to cooperate and simply opted to tie it in a loose and messy ponytail. She checked her reflection in the mirror and frowned once she saw the bags under her eyes.

Normally, she wouldn't have gotten as angry at her younger brother as she did earlier. After all, they pulled pranks on each other all the time and they were all harmless. She didn't know what came over her but something snapped inside of her that made her lash out, unleashing all her anger onto Daren. Perhaps it was due to the restless nights she had been having ever since she got back home. Her scar had been prickling at the most random times and her dreams certainly didn't make things any better. Whatever the case, she promised to apologize to him later.

A tapping sound drew her attention to the window where a snowy white owl waited. Laura opened the window and Hedwig wasted no time as she flew right onto her perch.

"Thanks, Hedwig." Laura said as she fed her some owl treats and took the letter that she carried. The owl nipped at her finger affectionately before Laura retreated to her desk to read Hermione's letter.

 _Dear Laura,_

 _I know it's only been a week since the term ended but I just wanted to check on you before me and my parents head off to France for the summer. I'll only be gone for two weeks and after that my parents allowed me to spend the rest of the summer with you. The reason for that is after we get home, they'll be taking another business trip for a conference in the States for a while so they decided to let me stay with you and the Potters instead of leaving me alone in the house._

 _Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. How are you? I'm sure that we're all still shaken up after what happened during the end of term. I mean honestly, I still have nightmares about Bellatrix Lestrange cornering us in the Shrieking Shack that night. I just want you to know that if you ever need to talk about anything, don't hesitate to send me an owl even on my vacation. I'll never let you hear the end of it if you don't write to me this summer even if it's just to tell me how you've been doing._

 _I don't have anything else to say at the moment but I'll see you soon enough and we can catch up properly then._

 _Your friend,_

 _Hermione_

Laura couldn't resist shaking her head at her best friend's letter. Say what you will about the girl but there could never be a person more caring and thoughtful than Hermione Granger. Ever since Laura had rescued her from that troll during first year, the two had been thick as thieves ever since. Even through dangerous times, Hermione stuck with her through all of it: finding the Philosopher Stone, defeating Professor Quirell, discovering the Chamber of Secrets, slaying the Basilisk, and of course escaping the clutches of the deranged witch Bellatrix.

Laura shivered at the mere thought of her godfather's cousin. The sound of her mad cackle was enough to send a chill running through her. They barely managed to stay alive once she had cornered them in the Shrieking Shack near the end of term. It had only been thanks to Professor Lupin and Professor Snape arriving that she had been forced to flee and the only reason she did so was the fact that more wizards had been coming to apprehend her. Bellatrix had easily managed to hold her own against the two wizards and Laura knew both men were no slouches at dueling either. It spoke volumes of her skills as a duelist that despite her incarceration in Azkaban, she was still a deadly force to be reckoned with.

A knock on her door drew her out of her thoughts as her brother's voice spoke from the other side. "Hey, Laura, mum says dinner's ready."

"I'll be right out!" She replied, folding her friend's letter and placing it in a drawer where all her letters were kept. Most of them were from Hermione but there were a few from her other housemates and friends as well. Neville had written to her twice since the start of summer and had been detailing all of the work he was doing in his personal greenhouse. Susan Bones had written to her as well just to check up on her and to wish her a good summer.

Laura had opened the door to her room and found Daren waiting for her, shuffling awkwardly for some reason. He was a year younger than her and resembled an even mix of both of their parents. His red hair had inherited the Potter curse and could not be straightened no matter what he did. His mischievous grin was noticeably absent.

"What's wrong?" Laura asked as they both made their way to the dining room.

Daren scratched the back of his head. "Well, I just wanted to apologize for, you know, the prank I pulled on you earlier. I didn't know you'd be that upset over it."

In truth, it hadn't honestly been that bad. Her brother had rigged a trap on the bathroom door while she had been taking her shower and once she had opened it, a bucket of slime had suddenly spilled all over her. Sure it was annoying and she had to retake another shower to wash the gunk out of her hair but it had been relatively harmless. Still, her messed up dreams about a dark graveyard and an abandoned orphanage had fueled her anger and she had just blown up at him.

"Oh, don't worry about it." Laura waved it off. It was nice of her brother to be considerate despite her actions. Normally, he wouldn't be this repentant over one of his pranks and even then, it would take a very long talk with mum to wrangle a sincere apology from him. She could afford to let him off the hook just this-

"No, really, if I had known it was that time of the month, I would have planned an even better prank than the one I did earlier. Honestly, that had been just the tip of the iceberg. If I had known I would get that much of a rise out of you, I would have gone all out today."

She immediately regretted every nice thought she had of her brother. He was a sneaky little troll and this injustice must not go unpunished. She swore her retribution would be swift and he would suffer in the most humiliating way possible.

"Ah, perfect timing you two!" Lily Evans noticed them enter the dining room. She was busy placing their fussy two year old sister into her booster seat. "Help me set the table while I deal with this little one."

Her younger sister, Rose, had only gotten fussier once she laid eyes on her two older siblings. She waved at them energetically and greeted them as best as she could. "Dary! Lary!"

Her brother snickered at the pronunciation of her name while he ducked the swipe she made to smack him behind the head. The two siblings set about to setting the plates and cutlery. Daren kept making funny faces for Rose's benefit, much to her delight.

The sound of the floo from the living room could be heard as James Potter arrived from work.

"Hello all! How's my favorite group of Potters tonight?" The bespectacled man entered the dining room after shedding his coat in the living room.

"Hi, dad!" The two siblings greeted their father with a quick hug.

"Dada!" Rose all but jumped up and down on her booster seat as she demanded her father's attention. The raven haired man chuckled as he scooped her up and rained small kisses on her little face as she squealed in joy.

"James! I had just gotten her to settle down." Lily admonished him. "Now, she'll think it's play time again."

"Sorry Lils," James said as she gave his wife a quick peck on the lips. Daren gagged. "It's not my fault she's excited to see her dada!"

The redhead could do nothing but sigh in exasperation as her husband twirled their daughter around. "Fine, but you have to put her to bed. Now sit down, Tilly has been cooking all afternoon and I don't want to let all that food go to waste."

"As you command, my lady." James bowed, causing his wife to roll her eyes but he caught the tiny upturn of her lips and he knew she wasn't really upset.

The five potters then sat down at the table to a small feast that their house elf, Tilly, had cooked for them. The conversation flowed easily between them and they kept the topics light ranging from Daren's latest prank (much to their father's amusement) to Laura's end of the year exam results (much to their mother's pride, were all outstanding). Meanwhile, Rose sat through it all and merely made finger paintings with her dinner.

It was just another day, in Potter manor.

* * *

Meanwhile, the telltale sound of apparition could be heard as a wizard appeared in front of a stately looking mansion just a few miles off the coast. He placed his hand on the gate, which immediately identified him as their owner, and swiftly opened to allow him entry.

The man _felt_ the sheer amount of protective wards surrounding the property as soon as he stepped passed the gates. The family home of the Peverells had long been left unused and unattended till a few years ago. However, their magical defenses had held firm and only those who have Peverell blood may enter unless they have been granted permission by the owner of said property.

Septimus entered the manor and just as he expected, a tiny missile came out of nowhere and latched itself onto his leg.

"Master Harry is home! Dobby is most glad to see that master is successful!" The little elf cried out jubilantly.

"What did I tell you about calling me by my real name Dobby?" Septimus scolded him lightly. "We have to be careful because we can never know who might be listening and you might slip up when there are other people around."

"Never sir! Dobby would never fail master Har- Septimus!" The little elf gave a deep bow.

"It's fine Dobby, we're just going to have to work on it." Septimus said as he took out the contact lenses in his eyes that turned his eyes from light blue to a distinctive emerald green. "I think I'd like to eat in the study tonight Dobby."

"Of course, sir! Dobby is bringing your dinner there straight away." And with that said, the little elf popped away to complete his task.

Harry couldn't help but shake his head at the elf's antics. He climbed the grand stair case leading to the second floor and made his way into the study where he spent most of his time nowadays. The young man plopped down on the high back leather chair with a weary sigh. So far, his plans were proceeding without a hitch.

Dobby popped by not a moment later, carrying a rather large tray filled with food. He had gone overboard in preparing dinner for tonight as usual. Still, he thanked the ever enthusiastic elf and tucked into the delicious meal. Even in a different life, some things remained the same no matter what you do. But then his thoughts drifted to a much more grim direction. Yes, it was true that while some of the things in this universe were different some of them remained exactly how he remembered them.

He had been waiting for this moment and he spent the last eight years preparing for it. The events of the last three years proved that despite some of the drastic changes he'd seen in this universe, the flow of events remained constant. Quirell still attempted to steal the stone but he never made the attempt to break into Gringotts. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened but not by Ginny Weasley. And instead of his godfather, it was Bellatrix Lestrange who had escaped Azkaban.

The details were different but in the end, everything that happened to him still happened. He couldn't allow things to progress the same way it did for him in the past. This was a crucial time for the Wizarding World as they had no idea what is about to transpire over the next couple of months. Hard times are approaching and all of those events centered around one thing: Hogwarts.

However, Harry couldn't move as freely as he wished as Harry Potter because he technically didn't exist. In this world, Laura Potter is the Girl-Who-Lived and not him. While he was glad to be rid of the ridiculous moniker, he was saddened to think of another person who shouldered the burden of such a title. He wanted nothing more than to alleviate the looming threat hanging over her head and give her the normal life she deserved.

Coming to a decision long ago, he vowed to change things for good and he would prevent the atrocities that had transpired in his world to happen to this one. However, in order to do so, he needed to become someone else. He needed to become someone who had wealth, power, and influence in order to make a difference. Furthermore, he had to become someone who would be in the right position to act at the precise moment at the place where all of the crucial events would take place. And finally, he had to become someone who would be able to guide the next generation of witches and wizards so that they may be prepared for what is inevitably coming in the future…

And what better way to do just that than as a teacher?

* * *

 **There we go! So tell me what you think. Now I have to be honest that it's been a while since I've read the books so some of my facts might be a little skewed but not too much. I will try to remain as respectful of the source material whenever possible but don't forget I made this an AU for a reason. I don't want things to be an exact copy of cannon so let's see how this plays out.**

 **So tell me what you think and leave a review!**

 **By the way, I'll give props to anyone who can guess where I pulled Harry's alias from.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Let's continue.**

* * *

Harry woke up to the glare of the sun's rays filtering through the closed curtains. He groaned as he picked himself up from the desk and cracked his neck to work out the kinks. He stood from his chair in order to stretch properly. He hated falling asleep in the study as it left him feeling uncomfortable the morning after.

A small pop made him turn to see Dobby carrying a tray of food. "Dobby thought master would like his breakfast brought up."

"Thanks Dobby," Harry told the little elf as the tray was placed on his table. It smelled and looked amazing as always.

"Would master be needing anything else?" The little elf inquired. To be honest, Harry felt a little bad for him. Dobby looked to be itching for something to do as he fidgeted in his spiffy new uniform. Harry had insisted that he get new clothes and that no, it wouldn't be setting him free, but to be worn as a sign that he wasn't a mere slave but a trusted companion and a member of the esteemed Peverell household. The elf had resisted at first but had then bawled his eyes out when Harry told him that he didn't like seeing his friend dressed in rags.

"That will be all for now, Dobby." Harry said, sitting back down. "I'll call if I need anything."

The elf nodded and vanished with a small pop.

Harry tucked in to the delicious breakfast which consisted of rashers, eggs, sausage, and a few slices of toast. He continued to thank his lucky stars that he had managed to run into Dobby when he did a year ago. It coincided with the timeline from his world when he had freed the elf from Lucius Malfoy. Harry had been in Diagon Alley visiting Gringotts when he had stumbled upon the little elf. Dobby had apparated right in front of him and began to joyously exclaim that he had a similar magical signature to Laura Potter. Luckily for Harry, it had been a rather slow day and the Alley was mostly empty save for a few witches and wizards in the shops.

Still, he couldn't afford to take any chances then and Harry made the decision to apparate the both of them back to the Peverell Estate where he had revealed his true identity. Dobby had listened to his story with rapt attention and when he had finished, the elf wanted nothing more than to help him in his mission. Despite the dangers, Dobby had bravely claimed that he would do his very best to protect Laura Potter as well as those she cared about. To this day, Harry couldn't help but marvel at the little elf's loyalty and it often made him wonder if the Dobby from his world had felt the same protectiveness and devotion.

He obviously did, because in the end, he gave up his life for Harry's when the moment arrived. Just thinking about the past left a bad taste in his mouth and his breakfast didn't look as appetizing as it was moments ago.

Beside the plate, Harry noticed that Dobby included the new Daily Prophet. He picked it up and scanned the headline. It was nothing special and certainly wasn't worth calling it news. Bellatrix Lestrange was still at large and of course Fudge does nothing but give petty assurances that they're doing everything they can to hunt her down. The only good decision he had made thus far was putting Senior Aurors James Potter and Sirius Black in charge of the investigation.

Seeing both his father and godfather on the front page answering questions from rabid reporters brought a smile to his face. He could tell from their expressions that they'd rather be anywhere else. However, he had come to terms with the fact that it wasn't _his_ father and godfather on the newspaper long ago. They weren't the people he had come to love and cherish. They had all died long ago and Harry was alone in a world that looked exactly like his but wasn't.

Still, it did nothing to ease the longing and sadness he felt deep in his heart whenever he saw them.

Flipping over to the next page, he found another article that garnered his interest. The Quidditch World Cup was fast approaching and Harry had already secured a ticket to the event thanks to his various connections working abroad. Now the real work will begin.

There was no telling how the events might play out from this point forward. He had spent years keeping track of specific turning points and compared them to the timeline from his world. So far, everything coincided with only a few material deviations here and there. But now, it was time to make waves. Harry had been biding his time as well as amassing his resources and honing his skills for this moment. It was why he had chosen to travel throughout the world and take on such dangerous professions.

He couldn't allow things to continue as they are. The Ministry was still corrupt and controlled by untrustworthy individuals. The Magical Communities are unaware and ill-prepared for the upcoming conflict he knew was coming. Voldemort has a powerful and devoted follower on the loose, no doubt planning their next move in order to resurrect him. Dumbledore was still too set on his own plans to stop Voldemort that he fails to consider alternatives. The old man truly believes _he_ was the only one who knows how to stop Tom Riddle.

Now that Harry had listed them all out in his head, it seemed like he had a monumental task set before him.

But that has always been the norm for him ever since Hagrid knocked down the Dursley's door when he was eleven.

Speaking of Dumbledore, Harry checked his watch and it indicated that it was half past seven. His scheduled appointment at Hogwarts for his lecture was at nine. Harry set the newspaper down and decided to get ready lest he be late. He needed to make a good impression today since it was vital that he get the job. He showered quickly and trimmed his beard. He put on his colored contacts that turned his emerald green irises into a light blue instead. He pulled his shoulder length hair into a neat ponytail and got dressed. When he looked in the mirror, he could hardly recognize himself from the man he was before.

He couldn't afford to be Harry Potter any more. No, he was someone else entirely now. He was Septimus Peverell, the Lord of the most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell and he needed to act as such. Harry bid Dobby a quick farewell and gave him a few instructions to carry out before the young lord apparated just along the boundary to Hogsmeade where he would make the journey up to the castle on foot. It might take a while but he wanted to savor the moment.

A few of the shopkeepers gave him curious looks as he passed through the small village. It came as no surprise given that visitors were rare at this time of the year. He nodded in greeting to some of them, throwing in a wink when he saw Madame Rosmerta outside of the Three Broomsticks. It had taken him a long time in order to get used to his new persona. Whereas Harry would often shy away from attention, Septimus was brimming with confidence and charisma. Getting into the right mindset had been the most difficult but in the end he had chosen to emulate three people in particular to help him mold the ideal character: Sirius, Lockhart, and Lucius Malfoy.

A strange combination to be sure, but it oddly worked to his benefit in the end. Sirius always had this charm about him even after his time in Azkaban. His easygoing nature had stayed with him despite everything the man had been through and it often put people at ease when they saw him laughing even through difficult times. Lockhart might have been a useless fraud but Harry had to admit that he knew how to get people's attention. His flair for the dramatic was what captivated his fans and it was a skill that Harry deemed useful. Lastly, he needed something that only Lucius Malfoy seemed to have in abundance: Pride.

Yes, Lucius Malfoy was one of the vilest human beings Harry had ever met. However, throughout all of his encounters with him, Harry could always remember the sneer and the superior tone of his voice when he spoke. It was as if he believed that everyone Lucius spoke to was beneath him and it was a trait Harry lacked. Harry had been proud of his achievements but he had never bragged about them and he certainly wasn't about to start doing so but he was starting to realize that perhaps he should have shown it. He had realized that the reason some of the Slytherins scoffed at him was because that while he had been the sole heir to a prominent family he had never cared enough to show it. How could they have respected him if he couldn't do so himself? If things were different, then maybe he could have gotten to know a few other students from the House of Serpents that didn't follow Malfoy around like a bunch of lackeys.

It was this trait that Harry wanted to emulate from Lucius Malfoy because for all of the man's faults, he carried his family name with pride and dignity. Now, Harry had been granted the name Peverell and he would carry it with the honor it deserved.

He could see the castle gates just a few meters ahead. His watch indicated that it was merely a quarter to nine. He'd made it with time to spare. As Harry drew nearer, he could make out a figure that was waiting for him just outside the entrance. It was a striking young woman who looked to be around his age but could be a few years older. She looked oddly familiar for some reason.

"Mr. Peverell, I assume?" The witch asked as soon as he was within a respectable distance. She gave him a quick once over through her small spectacles.

"That would be me." He replied, flashing her a small smile. "I have an appointment with the Headmaster?"

"Yes, we've been waiting for you." The witch said in a clipped tone. "You're early in fact. I wasn't expecting you to arrive so soon."

"I always say: if you can't be on time, arrive early." Harry responded with a small shrug.

The witch nodded. "Good words to live by. If you would follow me, I will escort you to Professor Dumbledore."

She turned and without waiting for him, set off at a brisk pace back toward the castle. Harry easily matched her pace and followed a few steps behind her. The nagging feeling that he should know her continued to bother him. From her manner of speech to her no nonsense tone of voice.

"I believe you have me at a disadvantage madam." Harry said. "You know my name but I don't have the privilege of knowing yours."

"Oh forgive me, where are my manners." The witch said. She turned to him and offered her hand. "I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall and the current Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts."

Harry made a small choking noise at the back of his throat.

* * *

Minerva had once again caught the man giving her a strange look as they traversed the castle's corridors. Honestly, it was becoming a bit irksome at this point. "May I ask, what is the problem Mr. Peverell? You've had a peculiar look on your face as soon as we entered the castle."

The man seemed to have snapped from whatever trance he was in and cleared his throat. "Forgive me. It's just that you remind me of someone I….used to know."

"I see." Minerva paused for a bit to see if he would elaborate further. He avoided her gaze under the guise of taking in the scenery and architecture of the castle.

"How long have you been teaching, if you don't mind me asking?" Septimus inquired, out of the blue.

"Not long, I took over the Transfiguration position when my mother retired five years ago." Minerva replied. "Before that, I worked as a healer for St. Mungo's."

"What made you take up teaching?" Septimus sounded genuinely curious.

"I admit it wouldn't have been my first choice of occupation and when Professor Dumbledore approached me about the vacant position I was hesitant to accept straight away. I was quite content with my work at the time but I relented upon the condition that I teach for only one school term so that the Headmaster can find a more suitable person the following year."

"And yet, here you are." Septimus observed. He gave her a bit of a smug look as if he was privy to an inside joke that only he could understand.

Minerva allowed herself a small smile at that. "Yes, it seems that I fell to the old coot's schemes. He had never planned to find me a replacement since the beginning and somehow knew I would want to keep my teaching position."

And since then, she never regretted it. While she admittedly missed her old life working as a healer, there was no denying the fulfillment of watching young students grow into the persons they deserved to be. Children were indeed a handful at times and it had been just her luck to have arrived at the same year a certain pair of trouble making twins were sorted into her house. Perhaps this was the reason why her mother had loved it so much despite all the headaches she's had to deal with. She'd heard stories of the infamous Marauders back in her time and now Minerva could sympathize with her.

"Sounds interesting," Septimus said. "If all goes well for me today, maybe I can experience it for myself."

"I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Peverell." Minerva said.

"Please, call me Septimus." The man said, flashing a confident grin.

The two arrived at a spacious classroom, one of the many unused ones throughout the castle. They found Professor Dumbledore and a few others waiting for them inside.

"Ah, Mr. Peverell, it's good to see you again." Dumbledore approached them. "I see you've already been acquainted with Minerva. Come let me introduce you to the rest of the Hogwarts staff."

Dumbledore led him inside the room and approached the rest of her colleagues who had been invited to observe today's demonstration. The headmaster had asked all of them to come and give their opinions of the new applicant for the jinxed Defense against the Dark Arts position which was a rare occurrence. Dumbledore had never asked anyone else for their opinions when hiring new professors. To say that everyone's interest had been peaked would be an understatement.

"Everyone, may I introduce you to Septimus Peverell." Dumbledore addressed everyone in the room. "We will be deliberating on his performance today to see whether he deserves the vacant Defense position."

Septimus then began going around the room to get to know the other Hogwarts professors.

"My, Dumbledore never mentioned that I would be getting a chance to work with such elegant looking witches." Septimus addressed each of women, giving them all a charming smile and laying a quick kiss on the back of their hands. "Shame on you Headmaster!"

Dumbledore merely chuckled good naturedly in response to the ribbing.

"I like him." Pomona Sprout discreetly told Minerva to which she just rolled her eyes. The man was certainly laying it on a little thick here. He looked more like he'd seen a ghost when she'd introduced herself to him at the castle gates.

"Of course, I need no introduction from you Professor Flitwick." Septimus said as he gave the diminutive professor a small gesture of respect in goblin culture. "I was a big fan of your dueling career and it was you who inspired me to try my luck in the circuit myself."

The goblin was pleasantly surprised and returned the gesture. "Why thank you, I'm always delighted to meet an admirer."

"You must show me the spell you used to defeat Magnus back in sixty one." Septimus said excitedly. "I've never seen such skillful wand work in all my life."

Filius chuckled. "Well, perhaps some other time. I do believe the other people in this room have better things to do than listen to us prattle on about my days as a duelist."

"I shall hold you to that Master Flitwick." Septimus said, addressing him with the title reserved for veteran duelers.

"And this is our Potions Professor, Severus Snape." Dumbledore gestured to the man who stood away from the main group.

"Pleasure to meet you, Severus," Septimus extended his hand only to receive a short and reluctant handshake in return but nothing more. Well, Minerva could say that she wasn't surprised. The oily haired man had always been dour and unsociable.

"Now, may I ask everyone to please take your seats and for Mr. Peverell to take the stage as it were." Dumbledore said. The Hogwarts staff occupied the first two rows of seats as Septimus set down his small briefcase on the desk. "The floor is yours, young Septimus."

"Thank you," The man nodded and steeled himself as he took a deep breath. The Headmaster had explained the criteria for their assessment the day before. The scenario for today would be to see how he handled a fresh new batch of students on a first year level. They were by far the most impressionable of the lot and were admittedly the easiest to handle since they haven't been jaded by house rivalries and prior experiences.

Septimus glanced at all of them and gave them an easy smile. "Good morning, students! Welcome to your first Defense against the Dark Arts lesson. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Septimus Peverell and I shall be your professor for this subject."

He casually flicked his wand and the chalk began to magically write his name on the board. "Now, before we delve deeper into the intricacies of defensive spells and such, can anyone tell me what is the purpose of a good defense?"

A hand tentatively went into the air. "Ah yes, please introduce yourself before you answer."

"Pomona Sprout, sir." Minerva's colleague said, playing along with the charade. "The purpose of a good defense is to ensure the safety of an individual or oneself."

"Excellent, take five points for Hufflepuff!" Septimus declared much to everyone's amusement. He has apparently done his research into how they operate at this school. "Now can anyone tell me how can we achieve this goal?"

When none of them answered straight away, he continued. "I suppose the question was too broad so let me give you a hypothetical situation. You are walking along a street on your way home in the middle of the night when a scraggly and disheveled man begins walking towards you. He looks troubled and so you give him a wide berth and continue walking. However, once you pass him, he begins to call out to you and yet you don't know him so you increase your pace. The man starts to call louder and you hear him following after you. Starting to become agitated and a little worried, you take off running, hoping to lose the stranger but you look back to see him running as well."

Minerva had been so engrossed in the tale that she noticed that he had animated the chalk to form drawings to reflect what was happening in the scenario and animated them to life. On the board was a crude drawing of a child straining to run away from a scary looking man.

"You're truly afraid now when all of a sudden you bump into a woman who looked to be the wealthy kind based on her fine garments and jewelry. She notices your distress, takes you by the hand and offers to help you. The scraggly stranger has caught up to you now and he looks to be holding something in his hand."

The drawings on the board froze as Septimus stopped talking. "Now we return to our earlier question. In this little scenario, how do we achieve the goal of a proper defense?"

Minerva glanced to see her fellow staff members frowning as they thought about the question. Even she had to ponder on just what Septimus hoped to impart with this.

"Stun the man and run away." Someone answered and Minerva was shocked to know that it was Severus who spoke. She had not expected him to take part in this little make believe lecture at all.

"Young man, please refrain from blurting out answers." Septimus said, looking at hooked nose professor sternly. "If you wish to speak then you may raise your hand and I will call upon you. Another outburst like that and I will start deducting points. Don't test me, mister."

Minerva had to cover her mouth to suppress the laughter that threatened to break out. The other staff members seemed to be having the same predicament as Filius was wracked with fake coughs to hide his snickers while Pomona's and Sinistra's shoulders shook uncontrollably. Even Dumbledore couldn't help but smile in amusement at Snape's gob smacked expression as if he couldn't believe that someone would dare speak to him in such a manner. Minerva thought it fitting given the man's attitude towards anyone who wasn't wearing green and silver.

It was not every day that the intimidating Potions Master was scolded like a fresh little first year.

"Alright, I'll let that slide for now." Septimus said, wagging a finger at Snape, who looked downright murderous for being treated like a child. "But don't let that happen again. Now, while your answer is a valid one, I have to say it is the wrong response to the current predicament."

"And why is that?" Snape argued. However, Septimus ignored him and pretended to be speaking to the rest of the class. Reigning in his rising temper, he thrust his hand into the air.

"Ah yes, go ahead Mr. Snape."

"Why is that, _sir_?" Snape repeated, putting a heated emphasis on the last part.

"Well firstly, you wouldn't be able to." Peverell directed their attention to the board. "Let's say you did manage to stun the strange man but you wouldn't be able to react fast enough to protect yourself from the other one."

This time it was Minerva's hand that shot up. "Why would you need protection from the other one? The woman offered to help didn't she?"

"Did she?" Septimus raised an eyebrow as he flicked his wand again and the drawings came to life once more. The strange man had caught up to the child and woman and held out the object in his hand. Before he could fully reach for it, the woman whipped out a wand and killed the man with a curse. The man fell dead and the object in his hand was revealed to be a child's wallet. The man had been trying to return it to its owner just before he had died. The woman laughed as the small child struggled to free itself from the witch's grip in vain. With one last manic look, the witch apparated away and took the child with her.

You could hear a pin drop with how deathly silent the room became. The witch in the chalk drawing had transformed eerily similar to someone they were all very familiar with. Even now, they could imagine a mad cackle in their ears.

"Life is never as predictable as we want it to be." Septimus spoke, and all traces of his smile had vanished.

"W-what happened to the child?" Pomona asked.

Septimus shrugged in response. "Who knows? And that's the whole point of this little scenario. Not everything we perceive is necessarily the truth. Going back to Mr. Snape's answer, once you stunned the innocent man it would have only made the witch's job of abducting you that much easier. Can anyone tell me at what point did things start to go wrong?"

"When the child allowed the woman to grab hold of him or her." It was Filius who answered.

"Yes, very good." Septimus waved his wand and the drawings reverted to that point in time Flitwick stated. "What made her different from the first stranger you encountered? Nothing. The child should have never let another stranger touch her in the first place. You can never truly know a person's motive especially a random person you just happened to see on the street. While the scraggly man had good intentions, no one could have possibly guessed it at first glance. If he or she had treated the witch with the same amount of caution as they did earlier then things might have played out a lot differently."

Septimus placed both his palms on the desk and looked at each and everyone in the room.

"What I'm trying to emphasize here is that while danger is a constant presence in our daily lives, we must never seek it out. However, we must always be prepared for it when it comes. And that is the first step to achieving the goal of a proper defense."

"But what if the witch had been truly desperate to abduct this child?" It was Dumbledore who asked this question. His gaze locked onto Mr. Peverell's as he awaited his answer. "What if the witch had thrown away her façade from the beginning and decided to abduct him or her right when she sighted them?"

Minerva was curious about Professor Dumbledore's question. It felt oddly specific and framed in a way to suggest there was an underlying meaning that eluded her but Peverell seemed to catch it. His answer impressed her mostly because the amount of conviction in his voice was prevalent. He met the Headmaster's gaze with an even one of his own.

"Well then, I suppose I'll just have to move on to my next lesson. Preparation can only take you so far, after all and we cannot account for every eventuality that might take place. Responding to threats and reacting to the situation at hand is the next logical step to take. While it certainly sounds easy to do, putting it into practice is often more difficult than some people would have you believe. Now, can anyone tell me…"

* * *

It was later in the afternoon that Dumbledore and the rest of the Hogwarts staff held a meeting to discuss Mr. Peverell's performance. They all sat in the staff room where regular gatherings were held to discuss school related matters.

"That was different." Flitwick was the first to speak. "He wasn't entirely what I was expecting when he first introduced himself to us. He's fairly competent for someone who is just starting out to be a teacher but I can tell that he has a good grasp of the concept of his subject."

"I know what you mean." Sprout said, sipping a cup of warm tea. "I nearly thought we would be getting another Lockhart but at least Septimus seems to know what he's doing. I'd half expected him to delve into some practical spell work as soon as possible but he's more sensible that I thought. While it is true that teaching the students how to use their wands is important, knowing _when_ to use it is another matter entirely and I applaud Mr. Peverell for covering this in his lecture."

"Rest assured that I have personally looked into his past records and they are in fact legitimate." Dumbledore told them, however there was a subtle hint of disappointment in his tone when he said it. Even he didn't want another Gilderoy strutting around the halls. "I've contacted his past employers and they've given him nothing but praise."

"If what I'm reading is to be believed then he deserves it." Minerva said, going over the man's resume that the Headmaster had brought with him.

"What's this? Is our Minerva impressed by young Septimus?" Professor Sinistra teasingly said.

"I'm merely stating facts!" Minerva retorted, adjusting her glasses with a huff. A light dusting of pink could be seen on her cheeks. "Anyway, I found nothing wrong with the way he handled today's lecture. If I had been a first year taking his class then I have been suitably educated. His easygoing nature will put students at ease and yet he can be strict when he needs to be. I daresay he is good enough for the position."

Everyone else voiced their agreements, except one.

"Severus, what say you?" Dumbledore asked the last member of the teaching staff who had been oddly silent.

The oily haired Potions Master had his arms crossed and a contemplative expression on his face.

"He's adequate." He grudgingly admitted with a sour look. All the teachers were mildly surprised. From Severus, that was as good a compliment you can get from the man even though he had been the butt of Septimus' jokes.

"I do have a question Albus and I do hope you can be honest with me." Flitwick said. "You've never needed us to help you decide whether or not to hire new professors in the past. So why did you feel the need to ask for our opinion now?"

Dumbledore gave the little charms professor a guilty smile over his half moon spectacles. "Nothing escapes your notice, old friend. While it's true that as Headmaster I have the authority to select and hire new staff members at my discretion, I feel as if my decisions for the open Defense position as of late have been…less than ideal."

The Hogwarts staff immediately thought of the past three years along with the questionable individuals who had been allowed to teach Defense against the Dark Arts. Quirrell had been a stuttering wreck which made it difficult for the students to learn as they had trouble understanding him in his lectures. Not to mention that Voldemort himself had formed on the back of his head right under their noses. Gilderoy had spent more time recounting his obviously false adventures than teaching a class and while Lupin was an exemplary teacher, his furry little problem had become public and they had been forced to let him go.

"That's not all there is to it, is there?" It was Minerva who spoke up this time. "While I agree that the students deserve a proper educator, there's more to it than that. Despite his adequate performance today, it almost seemed like you wanted Mr. Peverell to slip up and make a mistake. You wanted him to fail."

The other members of the Hogwarts teaching staff gave him questioning looks as well. They had also noticed the old wizard's reaction to Septimus earlier that day.

"I simply wished to learn from my mistakes by having you all there in order to hear an unbiased opinion of the man." Dumbledore answered. "As for my behavior, I was merely being overly critical of young Septimus. I do have particular criteria of my own that I need to measure him by. Now, are there any objections regarding our new Defense against the Dark Arts professor?"

Minerva felt as if her question had been answered and yet dodged at the same time. She would let the matter rest for now as they all voiced their assent to hiring Septimus Peverell. Obviously, something about the man had unsettled the Headmaster and she was determined to find out what.

"Then it is decided." Dumbledore declared when no one had voiced their dissent. "We will be welcoming Mr. Peverell along with the new first years on September first. Now that the matter is settled, we should move on to planning for the arrival of the delegates from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons when the tournament begins…"

* * *

"No way!" Laura gasped, staring at her best friend in shock. "Tell me you didn't!"

Hermione looked slightly bashful under the eager gaze of her best friend. "What can I say? It was a nude beach what else was I going to do? I didn't want to get tan lines and so…when in Rome…"

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Laura grabbed the bushy haired girl's shoulders and shook her. "Bring her back to me this instant, you fiendish succubus!"

Hermione retaliated via pillow to the face which prompted Laura to start giggling uncontrollably. However, her enjoyment only lasted for a few moments as her scar started to prickle again. It had been acting up ever since she returned home this summer along with the dreams. She tried to hide her discomfort as well as the urge the rub her forehead but her friend was sharp as always.

"It's your scar again, isn't it?" The bushy haired girl frowned. "Are you still having those dreams you wrote to me about?"

Laura sighed as she knew Hermione wasn't going to let this rest. "Yes, but I don't think it's anything too serious."

"Laura, how could you say that?" Hermione demanded. "We both know that the every time your scar starts hurting that it means something is happening with You-Know-Who and it's not something we can ignore. Have you even told your parents about it?"

"His name is Voldemort, Hermione." The bushy haired girl flinched when she heard the name. "And I don't want them to worry too much. They have enough on their plate as it is with dad trying to hunt down Bellatrix and mum is on the verge of finishing her new book. Not to mention she has to manage her apothecary and take care of Rose.

"But—,"

"Can we please just drop it Hermione?" Laura said, plopping down on her bed in exasperation. "Look if it gets any worse, then I'll tell them but as long as it's not causing any real harm at the moment I think it'll be fine. For once, let's just be regular teenagers and forget about Dark Lords and psychopathic witches."

Hermione gave her a look that told her that she would let it go for now but the discussion was far from over. Laura knew that if her best friend even caught the slightest hint that the dreams were getting worse, she'd march straight up to her parents, or Merlin forbid Dumbledore himself, and tell them everything. She was scary like that but she couldn't help but smile at the thought of her barging into the Headmaster's office unannounced.

She was lucky to have such a great friend, even if she could be a tad over-protective but it wasn't just Hermione. All her life, she felt like everyone around her was breathing down her neck and constantly watching over her. She appreciated everyone's concern, she really did, but sometimes it gets to the point where she wished they would just give her some space. Her life might be in danger because some evil wanker tried to kill her when she was a baby but she'd proven that she was capable, hasn't she?

Ugh, thinking about her situation just frustrated her more so she decided to change the topic by asking Hermione about her exam results that had just came in. If there was anything that the girl loved to talk about, it was school-work and books. While Laura also got exceptional grades, she wasn't as frantic about it as her best friend was. Additionally, one can never mention grades in the same breath without hearing a short rant about Hermione's self-proclaimed rival, Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin girl in their year who was a big competitor for the top academic spot.

It proved to be a good distraction as the conversation flowed much easier after that. They both complained about they're annoying housemates like how much of a slob Ron Weasley was during meal times or how much of a pervert Seamus acted. Honestly, as soon as third year started, the Irishman had apparently begun to notice the opposite sex and would try to flirt with anyone who had a pair of breasts. The main target of his affections was mostly Lavender Brown who was admittedly attractive. Unfortunately, Seamus had also tried to use his "charm" on them once or twice. A few good hexes after a particularly inappropriate comment about their developing assets had made sure he didn't try that again.

Honestly, boys were so stupid.

* * *

Harry arrived back at the manor just a quarter to eight in the evening. Today had been a very bizarre experience for him. Obviously, he knew that he would be meeting his old professors before he even got to Hogwarts earlier but nothing could have prepared him for the nostalgia of seeing them alive once again. The biggest surprise had been meeting with a younger version of his Gryffindor Head of House. He could honestly say he had not been expecting that but everyone else had been more or less the same. Professor Flitwick was as cheery as always, Professor Sprout was still as welcoming, and Snape was as grumpy as ever along with his sneer.

He was grateful for the sense of normalcy they provided because it was able to put him more at ease. The irony was not lost on him to see their roles reversed earlier today. Harry had to admit that it felt like poetic justice to subject Snape to the same treatment the man put him through all those years ago, albeit in a more civilized manner.

The feedback they had given him once his lecture was over already hinted the fact that he was guaranteed the position. Of course, Harry would be a fool if he thought it would be that easy. There was always the small possibility that Dumbledore would ignore the positive comments of the staff and continue with his plan to hire his old friend Moody to teach Defense. Harry could tell that Dumbledore still didn't fully trust him yet and would remain cautious of him in the future. The old goat was shrewd like that but it was the right decision to be suspicious.

Dobby awaited him at the front door and dutifully levitated his belongings up to the study as Harry hung his coat on the rack.

"Master, you have a guest waiting for you in the living room." The elf informed him. "He arrives earlier today and asks for you. Dobby worried he was a nasty man but the family wards did not do anything so Dobby wasn't sure what to do. Dobby makes him wait in the living room."

"Don't worry, Dobby, I know exactly who it is." Harry told the elf. "He's an old friend and I'm the one who invited him over. Would you be so kind as to bring us some food while I have a chat with our guest?"

"Right away, sir!" Dobby bowed before popping to the kitchen.

Harry began walking towards the living room where he heard the sound of the television. He could hear the sound of special effects simulating gunfire. He shook his head in amusement as he already knew what movie was playing. True to form, Bruce Willis as John McClane had just thrown a terrorist off of a building shouting down at him. "Welcome to the party pal!"

"You know, I'm starting to see why my dad's so obsessed with muggles." Bill Weasley said without facing away from the screen. "They make such good, what do you call it, movies? And even without magic, they make it look so life-like."

"They do have a name for it though, it's called special effects." Harry said, as he plopped down on another sofa.

"It's funny. The villain looks a mighty lot like Snape." The red-haired Cursebreaker commented. "He was one of my Hogwarts professors back in the day."

"Yes, I had the displeasure of meeting him today." Harry said. "A cheery fellow, isn't he?

Bill chuckled. "Oh believe me, I know. The oily-haired git never once gave me a single point on any of my schoolwork just because I wasn't wearing green and silver. I've also heard my brothers complaining about him quite a lot whenever I visit."

The two men watched in companionable silence as Die Hard continued to play. John McClane had just killed another bunch of terrorists but was injured in the process by getting stabbed in the foot by a rather large shard of glass.

"Honestly, how in Merlin's name did you get this contraption to work?" Bill gestured to the television. "Muggle gadgets have always been known to malfunction when exposed to large quantities of magic which is why most magical households can't use them even if they wanted to. In a heavily warded place as this, it shouldn't even be possible to use it."

"Obviously, you've never been to the East." Harry gave him a smug smile. "You need to get your arse out of the desert and expand your horizons, my friend. There's more to the world than raiding dusty old tombs for lost treasures and artifacts. I'll admit it was fun for a few weeks but the blasted heat and coarse sand that gets all over my trousers is murder mate. I knew I couldn't stay there for long and I'm grateful for the experience but I had to get out of there. I've seen many extraordinary things and I've learned so much from the different magical communities outside of Britain."

Bill actually looked to be considering his words as he adopted a thoughtful expression. "Perhaps I'll file for a transfer to another Gringotts branch once I'm finished with my current assignment. It does sound interesting."

"You won't regret it, I promise you that." Harry said. "I actually purchased this television from Japan. They have some of the best enchanters in the world. Did you know that in their magical community, muggleborns are actually treated better than purebloods? They consider them to be great assets in order to bridge the gap between the magical world and the modern world. The things they've done and things they're able to do with the power of both magical and technological advances are unbelievable."

Dobby then popped into the living room carrying to plates of pot roast served with a steaming pile of mashed potatoes. The elf also laid out two glasses of butterbeer before heading back to the kitchen. The two wizards ate in silence for a few minutes as they savored Dobby's cooking.

"So, I assume you got my letter?" Harry asked, once they were finished with their meal.

Bill sighed as he set down his cutlery and downed the last of his beverage. "I'm not going to lie to you Septimus, what you're asking for is highly improbable. It's difficult enough to bring normal matters to the Director's attention but Ragnok is a very busy goblin. You may have a good standing with their race than the average wizard but even that title can only get you so far."

"You're telling me that they won't grant me the clearance to search one of the vaults?" Harry frowned. If that were the case then it would be a huge setback for him. There was a good chance that one of _those_ could be hidden in what was undoubtedly one of the most secure magical strongholds known. He needed to get into those vaults.

"I didn't say it was impossible." Bill said, rubbing his forehead. "But it will be difficult. They would need at least a month's notice before the matter could be brought to Ragnok's attention and even then it would take a few more days to get an audience with him. Plus, we'd need a solid case in order to convince him to provide us access to those vaults since it's one of the older ones. If he dismisses our case then we would lose our only chance to get what you want. We need something that will convince Ragnok but I just don't know what."

Harry pondered on his words for a few moments before he reached into his magically expanded satchel and withdrew a delicate looking headpiece. It was an intricately made silver tiara with a quote engraved into the metal. Bill's jaw dropped once he read what was inscribed.

 _Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_

"Is that what I think it is?" Bill asked, completely dumbfounded. "How the fuck did you find this?"

"If you're thinking that it's the lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, then yes it is." Harry said as he regarded the no doubt priceless artifact before him. It was a shame that after all these centuries, it had been perverted by a young man's greed. "As for how I found it, let's just say I went to a place where many people go to in order to hide things you don't want anyone else to see."

Bill tentatively reached out to touch it but a firm hand gripped his wrist before he could. "Don't touch it. Can't you feel anything wrong with the diadem?"

The Cursebreaker frowned and whipped out his wand as he cast a few cursory detection spells on the headpiece.

"There's no doubt that this is definitely the genuine lost diadem." Bill confirmed. "I've detected some complicated enchantments on the headpiece, probably by Rowena herself which is probably why I can't make heads or tails of it. However, there is something…off about it. There's a foreign presence residing in the artifact which makes it feel almost alive in some manner but I don't know how that's possible."

"It is possible and I have a pretty good idea why that is." Harry glared at the vile object sitting on his coffee table. He wanted nothing more than to drive a basilisk fang right through the center of it. "It's because it has now become a soul anchor."

"What do you mean by that?"

Harry sighed as he called Dobby and asked him to bring out some firewhiskey and two glasses. He was about to reveal some very well-kept secrets about a dangerous man and he had a feeling they were going to need something a bit stronger than butterbeer. He felt a little bit of apprehension about telling Bill. Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to drag his friend into this madness. He was a good and dependable man who he had respected in his previous world. He didn't hesitate to put his life on the line to do what was right and from the short time Harry had worked with Bill as Curebreakers for Gringotts, he was certain that the Bill Weasley of this world would be the same.

Harry would just have to ensure that this time, the man would live to see his daughter be born.

"Tell me, what do you know about Horcruxes?"

* * *

 **There we go, a bit longer than the previous one. I've decided that whenever I do other character's POV, I'll be using Harry's alias while when it's his point of view I'll refer to him as Harry so as to avoid confusion.**

 **Well anyway, tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.**


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